Choice
by rap-suh-dee
Summary: Why Melissa decided to leave with Abby, Eric and Jackson. Slight MJ


Jackson was not planning on telling Melissa about his decision to leave with Abby and Eric. But there she is, sitting by the water with her knees tucked under her chin looking small and delicate, like a strong breeze could steal her away. And there he is, watching her with his arms crossed, wondering if he could run fast enough to catch her. After some time has passed, he starts to feels like a stalker. So he clears his throat and moves closer.

Melissa looks up and smiles, "hey". The evening air is crisp so her cheeks are a rosy pink.

"Hey." He wants to comment on the weather or on something just as inane. Instead, with his eyes staring off into the distance he says, "I'm leaving tomorrow," he pauses, "with Abby and Eric."

The smile disappears and Melissa looks down, "oh".

The wind picks up and whips up her long dark hair and it swirls around her face. She looks almost otherworldly and Jackson almost changes his mind, almost wants to stay. But he can't, not like this. He can't keep waiting with fingers crossed. He can't pretend this isn't slowly driving him insane.

Melissa didn't have to ask why, they all knew why, they had all thought about it. At least, she has. She had sat with Abby, when the nights felt longer then most, trying in vain to search for the Abby she knew, the Abby that suggested on taking a student who, otherwise, could not afford the trip. But that Abby wasn't there, not anymore. Melissa resisted the urge to cry, she felt like she had lost someone. She wanted to reach out and hold Abby but she was afraid she might cut herself against the jagged pieces of what was left of Abby's humanity.

"Mel, are you listening to me?" Abby interrupted, her eyes hardened. Melissa's hands were held out awkwardly between the two of them, fingers outstretched and unsure Abby didn't seem to notice. "Do you really want to stay here and wait around like the rest of these blinded fools?" Melissa dropped her arms back to her side.

"Someone will come." Melissa insisted. They were having the same conversation over and over again. She had always tried to steer the topic back to the days before the crash or what happened during her lonely trips out there. But Abby always brought it right back to this.

"What if they don't?"

Melissa just shook her head. She couldn't let herself think like that. "Someone will come. They have too. People are missing."

Abby almost looked sad. "Maybe they've forgotten about us."

Melissa's eyes widened. "Don't say that."

"The next big news story would have taken over by now. No one would care about a bunch of missing kids anymore."

"What about our families?" She whispered.

Abby wrapped her arms across her chest but remained silent.

Melissa squeezed her eyes shut she wondered how Abby had become so broken; she wondered if she could be fixed, like melting glass back together. You would still see and feel the cracks but at least it would be whole again and stronger then before. Or would it be like a mirror, even if it was pieced back together the reflection would still be splintered. "Abby…" Melissa began.

"I'm tired, Mel. I think I'm going to go to sleep."

Melissa watched as Abby shuffled into a more comfortable position, turning her back to Melissa. "Oh, okay." She rose to her feet. "Okay." And she left.

Melissa didn't expect Abby to stay but she didn't think Jackson would leave too.

She wonders if Abby had convinced Jackson but she doesn't ask him, she doesn't want to hear out loud his reasons for leaving. She doesn't want to accept that he has nothing to stay for.

"Aren't you happy here?" Her forehead is now resting on her knees and the question comes out muffled. But the wind has died down and she may as well have been yelling.

"Are you?" Jackson is never an easy person to talk to, not for Melissa.

She raises her head, "I thought… I thought we were okay."

"We are." He says slowly. "But are you satisfied with okay?"

Melissa wants to say yes. But the word is lodged at the back of her throat and she's afraid that if she tries to force it out she'll choke.

"I thought so." Jackson says, more to himself then to Melissa. He sighs and drops down beside her. "Why… why don't you," he clears his throat and looks away, "come with… " _me_ he wants to say, _me_ "…us."

After a moment of silence Melissa says, "Daley would never leave here."

"I know."

"And Lex will stay with Daley and so would …Nathan." Melissa sighs, things were changing so quickly and Nathan was always her rock, but now he didn't need her as much as she needed him anymore. Sometimes she felt like she was floating away. But she sees the way Nathan smiles at Daley, smiles for Daley, smiles for himself when she knows he is thinking about Daley and Melissa is able to hang on, just a little bit longer.

"Yeah" Jackson agreed.

"And Taylor…" She trails off. The betrayal still hurts. "We can't leave them behind. _I_ can't." There's a slow dawning of realisation. She doesn't fit in there anymore.

"We're not leaving them behind. They'll still have each other. We'll see each other again."

"_I_ need them." She insists more as a reassurance to her then a reason for Jackson. He turns to her. "Abby's not the same. I was never close to Eric and you…" Her voice trembles like the cold evening air has chilled it, "I don't even know where I stand with you." She inhales sharply. "Please stay."

She can't see him but she knows he's shaking his head, he leans towards her and she closes her eyes. Her tears, left with nowhere to go, spill over her lashes. "Come with me." He whispers, his hand hovers over her head with slight hesitation before he runs his fingers through her hair. It's as soft as he's imagined. He lets his hand fall gently on her back. "Come with me." His breath is warm on her cheek and it almost sounds like a confession.

She doesn't reply but she's known the answer all along.


End file.
